The disclosures herein relate generally to personal computer ("PC") test devices and, more particularly, to a compact PC video subsystem test device.
In a PC manufacturing environment, a large number of PCs are produced daily. Understandably, therefore, it is highly desirable for factory testing personnel, as well as development engineers, to be able to quickly and reliably test the basic functionality of, for example, the video subsystem of every PC. One method of accomplishing the forestated task is to connect a monitor to the PC and boot it up. During POST, a audible "beep code" will be output to indicate the status of the video subsystem; however, often, the status indicated by this beep code does not reveal the true status of the video subsystem. Moreover, the need to connect and subsequently disconnect a monitor to and from each PC in order to test the video subsystem thereof slows down the testing process. In addition, testing of the energy saving modes of every PC manufactured also currently necessitates the connection of a monitor or oscilloscope to the PC.
Accordingly, what is needed is a simple, convenient, and reliable method of performing video subsystem testing of a PC in a manufacturing environment that does not require a monitor to be attached to the PC to perform such testing.